Christmas and Disney Can Chase Away the Misery of LES MIZ

What do you get when you combine Christmas, Disney styling and a singer currently touring with the 25th Anniversary production of Les Misérables? You get a spectacular, one of a kind Christmas EP. Ian Patrick Gibb's new EP, "The Time of the Year for Miracles," features not only old time favorites such as "O Holy Night," "Christmas Waltz" and "I'll Be Home for Christmas," but also includes original music penned by The Imagination House's Rick McKee. Will Curry,Ian Patrick Gibb's music director for the EP describes "The Time of Year for Miracles" as "a perfect cross section of the Christmas repertoire. We've got secular and religious, musical theater and jazz, and two never-before heard originals." The EP showcases Gibb's exceptional, melodic tenor voice that has been hailed as "a beautiful bright tenor" by TheaterMania.com and "filled with ethereal beauty" by BayAreaPlays.com. Katie Wilcoxson lends her extraordinary vocal talents to the original duet, "Grateful," which smoothly melds Wilcoxson's contemporary style with Gibb's traditional sensibility. Also featured on the EP is the dynamic vocalist Michelle Amato whose naturally pure, gifted voice provides the perfect backup for Gibb's "Christmas Waltz" giving the classic song a new, jazzy flare.

Ian Patrick Gibb is a New York based actor currently touring with the critically acclaimed 25th Anniversary National production of "Les Misérables" as Jean Prouvaire and understudies the role of Marius. Ian earned his Bachelor of Music degree in Musical Theater at Oklahoma City University under the vocal direction of Dr. William Nield Christensen. His roles include Joseph in "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat," Lucas in "The Student Prince," Dean Hyde in "All Shook Up," the Production Tenor in "The Producers," and was part of the world premiere of John Bucchino's "Urban Myths" and American premiere of "Honk!" Ian's debut album "Fill in the Words" is currently available on iTunes and Amazon.

Katie Wilcoxson is a young, dynamic singer based in Orlando, Fl. She is known worldwide for her agile vocal styling and passionate, heartfelt performance. Katie currently lends her talent as a session musician to recording projects for some of the largest companies in the world including Disney, DreamWorks, Sea World, Macy's, Norwegian Cruise Lines, Integrity Music and other diverse and high profile clients. Katie's voice has also been featured on ABC, NBC, CBS and TBN, as well as two Walt Disney World record releases.

Michelle Amato is a dynamic vocalist whose abilities to convey the deep passion of a lyric, as well as soar effortlessly through the stratosphere are making her one of the most in demand names is music today. She has performed and recorded with an incredibly diverse array of artists, including Liza Minelli, Al Green, Sandi Patty, Jon Secada, Donna Summer, Michael McDonald, Ira Sullivan, Jon Hendricks, Celia Cruz, Rita Marley and world-renowned composer Yanni. Her solo work can be heard on his "Ethnicity" CD and "Yanni Live" DVD. Michelle recorded the title cut on Dirty Martini's debut CD, "Save Your Love For Me, and her own debut CD "I'm All Smiles" is completed and available at www.michelleamato.com. She has been a featured soloist with The Memphis Symphony, The South Florida Pops, The Baton Rouge Symphony, The Florida West Coast Symphony and The Orlando Philharmonic. She also recently returned from a guest appearance on Regent Cruise Line's "Mariner of the Seas", cruising the South Pacific as soloist with The Christian Tamburr Quintet. Staying extremely active in the recording studio as a singer and contractor, Michelle has worked for Royal Caribbean, Costa and Carnival Cruise Lines, Warner Brothers, Alfred and Shawnee Press Publications, Macy's Thanksgiving Parade, Tournament of Roses Parade, Walt Disney Company, and numerous jingle production companies throughout the country.

Rick McKee has composed and arranged a variety of well-known clients including Macy's, SeaWorld, Walt Disney World, Tokyo Disneyland, Tokyo DisneySea, Hong Kong Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, Disney Live, Disney On Ice, Norwegian Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, Nickelodeon and a variety of other clients. His music and arrangements have been performed by film and television stars, Whoopi Goldberg, Matthew Broderick, Ashley Tisdale and Mitchel Musso, Tony Award winners, Victoria Clark and Brian Stokes Mitchell, Broadway stars, John Tartaglia, Norm Lewis and Jonathan Freeman, as well as country music singer, BRyan White. Rick served as the arranger on both, an Emmy nominated song in 2009, and an Emmy Award winning song in 2011. His music and/or arrangements can currently be found on fourteen Walt Disney Record releases.

Will Curry is currently touring with acclaimed 25th Anniversary National production of "Les Misérables"as the violist and assistant conductor, having previously served as the tour's concertmaster. A recent graduate of Northwestern University, Will studied viola with Roland Vamos and conducting with Victor Yampolsky. As an orchestrator, Will has arranged and orchestrated works for shows, benefits and concerts, as well as Ian Patrick Gibb's debut album, "Fill in the Words." Will has had works performed by Andrew Lippa, Carole Shelley, Daniel Reichard, Natalie Weiss and the cast of "Les Misérables."

Related

More From This Author

Kathy Strain grew up outside of Philadelphia and has enjoyed Broadway shows for most of her life. Kathy moved to San Antonio, Texas in 2001 with her husband Ken and 3 children. She holds a degree in Public Relations from the University of Texas at San Antonio and works at a local college. She loves to contribute pieces on the arts to several outlets and enjoys writing about talent and sharing it with the world.